Tim Berners-Lee launches open source project Solid to decentralize the web and place users in control of data

Tim Berners-Lee is famous for inventing the world wide web, and now he's ready to take things to the next level with an ambitious open source project called Solid. Noting that the web has become "an engine of inequity and division", Berners-Lee wants to restore the power and agency of individuals online and move the balance of power away from "powerful forces who use it for their own agendas". Solid is not a completely new venture. Berners-Lee has been working on it for some time, and it is built on the existing web as we know it. Where it differs… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft stops development of touch-friendly Office apps for Windows

Microsoft has confirmed that it is no longer developing the touch-friendly versions of Office apps for Windows The Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile apps found in the Microsoft Store first appeared for Windows 8.1, and development has continued with the release of Windows 10. But now this is changing, with Microsoft saying it wants to focus on the Win32, web, iOS and Android versions instead. See also: Consumer Reports now recommends Microsoft Surface laptops -- apart from Surface Go with its 'lag' Microsoft is sending Skype classic to the software graveyard in November Microsoft launches Azure-based Windows Virtual… [Continue Reading]

Facebook shares more details about its massive security breach -- after blocking people from sharing news about it

The Guardian was among many outlets to write about the huge Facebook vulnerability and attack reported yesterday, and people were understandably keen to share the story on the social network. However, many people found that they were unable to do. Large numbers of Facebook users who tried to share the Guardian's story -- as well as one published by the Associated Press -- were greeted by a message informing them that the messages was spam and could not be posted. The matter has been addressed, but it led to complaints that Facebook was trying to hush up the story, and… [Continue Reading]

TVAddons' new transparency report reveals blacklisted Kodi add-ons

Taking a leaf out of the Lumen Database, unofficial Kodi add-on provider TVAddons has been maintaining a list of blacklisted Kodi Addons in a regular transparency report. This blacklist is not the result of DMCA takedown notices, but rather is compiled based on Kodi addons that were submitted to its index but judged not to meet the company’s own verification standards. SEE ALSO: Kodi add-ons used to distribute currency miners New Kodi 18 'Leia' Beta 2 arrives -- download it now! Popular Kodi add-on 'phones home' -- and could get you into serious legal trouble TVAddons, which is currently fighting… [Continue Reading]

Accell launches Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station for Windows 10 and macOS

For a while, it was hard to find a decent Thunderbolt 3 docking station. Oh, there were plenty of USB-C docks, but believe me, other than sharing a connector type, they are nowhere near as good as TB3 variants. From my experience, USB-C models can be a bit problematic -- especially with macOS. Nowadays, however, there are many Thunderbolt 3 docks on the market. Today, Accell -- a company known for selling quality products at affordable prices -- launches a TB3 dock that looks quite beautiful and futuristic. Rather than being a simple rectangle, it slopes downward on the front.… [Continue Reading]

Facebook hack: 50 million users affected by site code flaw

Facebook has revealed that it discovered a security issue which could have exposed the accounts of 50 million people. A vulnerability was discovered in Facebook's View As feature on Tuesday, September 25, but the company has not given too many details about how the flaw was exploited or by whom, but it has said that attackers were able to steal access tokens and access other people's accounts. Law enforcement agencies have been informed, and an investigation is under way. See also: Instagram co-founders resign from Facebook-owned company to 'explore curiosity and creativity again' YouTube alternative Facebook Watch rolls out globally… [Continue Reading]

OnePlus 6T teaser video invites you to 'unlock the future'

With the launch of the OnePlus 6T expected in the next few weeks, the OnePlus marketing machine is now in full motion. We've had a number of leaks and rumors, as well as some official news, and now the first teaser video for the upcoming phone has been released. The video, released to Twitter, bears the tagline "unlock the future", and says simply of the handset: "It's coming". See also: Android 9.0 Pie lands on OnePlus 6 in OxygenOS 9.0 OnePlus confirms that the OnePlus 6T has no headphone jack and announces Type-C Bullets earbuds Confirmed: the OnePlus 6T definitely… [Continue Reading]

Cuddle up with Ubuntu Linux 18.10 Cosmic Cuttlefish Beta now!

Just yesterday, we shared with you the official Ubuntu Linux 18.10 Cosmic Cuttlefish wallpaper. And yeah, while it looks cool, it's not as exciting as, say, a Beta release of the upcoming operating system. Today, that is exactly what we get. If you like to run pre-release Linux-based operating systems for fun -- which I do -- you can download the ISO immediately. With Ubuntu, these late-stage Beta releases are usually very stable. After all, the final version will drop next month. So while you should install it at your own risk, I would say you are probably safe with… [Continue Reading]

Best Windows 10 apps this week

Three-hundred-and-two in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days. The next feature update for Windows 10 is just around the corner. Windows 10 version 1809 may be released as early as October 2, 2018. Microsoft has not yet confirmed the date but most experts believe that the feature update will be released on that day. As always, if I've missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the… [Continue Reading]

Consumer Reports now recommends Microsoft Surface laptops -- apart from Surface Go with its 'lag'

Last year Consumer Reports stripped Microsoft Surface laptops of its coveted "recommended" status because of concerns about reliability. But now the badge of honor has been restored, with the publication saying: "Microsoft's reliability is now on par with most other laptop brands". While the vast majority of the Surface laptop range is now recommended by Consumer Reports, the Surface Go is not. The reason for this is that in lab tests, the device's performance was found to be subpar. See also: Microsoft is launching the Surface Hub 2S in 2019, and the Surface Hub 2X in 2020 Grab yourself a… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft is sending Skype classic to the software graveyard in November

The death of Skype classic (or Skype 7.0 if you prefer) was reported a number of weeks ago, but after angry and emotional outpourings from users, Microsoft said that it would (slightly) extended its life. Now the company has revealed the new execution dates. Dates is plural because the killing off of Skype classic is going to be a two-step process. The desktop version is first for the chop on November 1, with the mobile versions following a little later. See also: New update from Microsoft means you can now record Skype calls Rejoice! Microsoft gives Skype classic a temporary… [Continue Reading]

3 questions startup founders should ask about data privacy

Modern startups are awash in information, from real-time customer insights collected via mobile applications to employee data received through online portals. Founders are constantly making decisions about where to invest, when to hire, how to hire and, most importantly, how to grow. In the rush to cultivate clients and consider business scalability, many startups may fail to truly appreciate the immense responsibility that comes with gathering and storing data in the current digital environment, a place where cybercriminals roam and users are painfully aware of the risks that come with sharing private information online. With this state of affairs in mind,… [Continue Reading]

Your future vacation: Brought to you by AI-assisted travel planning

Thirty years ago, those of us who wanted to go on vacation or just visit friends and family for a weekend had to go through a travel agent to make arrangements. Then came the internet, and with it the launch of online travel agencies like Orbitz and Expedia, which enabled customers to research, find, and book their own vacations for the first time. Soon after that, the emergence of new "sharing economy" companies like AirBnB and VRBO transformed the travel industry by leading customers to consider new destinations and accommodations outside of a traditional hotel -- or B&B. Given how… [Continue Reading]

ESET launches cloud-based security management solution for SMBs

Smaller businesses are not immune to cyber security threats, but they often don't have the budgets or staffing resources to deal with them. To address this, endpoint security specialist ESET is launching a new cloud-based remote security management solution specifically designed for the IT security challenges faced by SMBs. ESET Cloud Administrator is a management console allowing centralized management of ESET security products including, ESET Endpoint Antivirus and Security for Windows, ESET Endpoint Antivirus and Security for macOS and ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server. As a cloud-hosted service, it offers SMBs a convenient, hassle-free platform, with the ability… [Continue Reading]

Security is developers' top concern for open source components

Developers rate security as their top concern when dealing with open source components, above integration and functionality, according to a new study. The report from open source security and license compliance management company WhiteSource reveals that an average developer invests 15 hours a month dealing with open source security vulnerabilities, but only a small fraction of that time (25 percent) is devoted to actual remediation. There's has been a significant rise in the number of open source vulnerabilities, up 60 percent from 2016 according the report, which presents development and security teams with the challenge of ensuring that their products… [Continue Reading]

End-user performance monitoring in the cloud and multi-cloud era

Online shoppers weren’t the only ones encountering dog images on this year’s Amazon Prime Day. Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- which supports thousands of websites globally -- experienced its own problems, as businesses attempting to access their management consoles also got puppy images. These issues may have slipped under the radar, but they were significant -- reinforcing, once again, that even the most reputable service providers can and do experience outages (sometimes at the most inopportune times). The companies using them need to take proactive, diligent steps to insulate themselves. End-user performance management is even more acute for cloud users.… [Continue Reading]

Schools should offer formal information security classes

Digital threats are evolving fast and that leads to increasing demand for security professionals to tackle them. A new report from AI-driven security company Lastline looks at how existing practitioners feel about education in their field. Among the findings are that 85.5 percent of infosec professionals believe that US schools should offer more formal classes in the field. When asked which institutions should take responsibility for educating today's youth about digital security, those surveyed offered a wider range of opinions. K-12 teachers received the greatest amount of support at 30.3 percent of respondents. Parents and higher education organizations followed close behind at 28.1… [Continue Reading]